Development of a Framework for Evaluating Yellow Timing at Signalized Intersections

Rakha, Hesham A.; El-Shawarby, Ihab; Amer, Ahmed

Development of a Framework for Evaluating Yellow Timing at Signalized Intersections

dc.contributor	Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation and Research	en
dc.contributor	Virginia Tech	en
dc.contributor.author	Rakha, Hesham A.	en
dc.contributor.author	El-Shawarby, Ihab	en
dc.contributor.author	Amer, Ahmed	en
dc.contributor.department	Civil and Environmental Engineering	en
dc.contributor.department	Virginia Tech Transportation Institute	en
dc.date.accessed	2013-11-21	en
dc.date.accessioned	2014-03-19T18:30:11Z	en
dc.date.available	2014-03-19T18:30:11Z	en
dc.date.issued	2011-02-01	en
dc.description.abstract	Studies show that the proper design of clearance intervals has significant implications for intersection safety. For example, in 2001, approximately 218,000 red-light-running crashes occurred at signalized intersections in the United States. These crashes resulted in nearly 181,000 injuries and 880 fatalities and an economic loss of $14 billion. Driver behavior while the driver is approaching high-speed signalized intersections at the onset of a yellow indication varies as a function of many parameters. Some of these parameters are related to the driver's attributes, e.g., age, gender, perception-reaction time, and acceptable deceleration levels. Other parameters that relate to the intersection geometry include the approach speed, distance, and time to the intersection at the onset of the yellow indication. This study developed a novice approach for computing the clearance interval duration that explicitly accounts for the reliability of the design (probability that drivers are not caught in a dilemma zone). Lookup tables based on the limited data available from this study are provided to illustrate how the framework could be used in the design of yellow timings. The approach was developed using data gathered along Virginia's Smart Road test facility for dry and clear weather conditions for two approach speeds: 72.4 km/h (45 mph) and 88.5 km/h (55 mph). Each dataset includes a complete tracking of the vehicle every deci-second within 150 m (500 ft) before and after the intersection. A total of 3,454 stop-run records were gathered. These include 1,727 records (687 running records and 1,040 stopping records) for an approach speed of 45 mph and 1,727 records (625 running records and 1,102 stopping records) for an approach speed of 55 mph. Using these data, models that characterize driver perception-reaction times and deceleration levels were developed. The application of the proposed approach demonstrates that the current design procedures are consistent with a reliability level of 98%.	en
dc.description.sponsorship	Virginia Department of Transportation 87584	en
dc.description.sponsorship	Federal Highway Administration 87584	en
dc.format.extent	69 pages	en
dc.format.mimetype	application/pdf	en
dc.identifier.citation	Hesham Rakha, Ihab El-Shawarby, and Ahmed Amer. "Development of a Framework for Evaluating Yellow Timing at Signalized Intersections," Virginia Transportation Research Council 530 Edgemont Road Charlottesville, VA 22903, Report No. FHWA/VCTIR 11-R12, Feb. 2011.	en
dc.identifier.govdoc	FHWA/VCTIR 11-R12	en
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10919/46659	en
dc.identifier.url	http://www.virginiadot.org/vtrc/main/online_reports/pdf/11-r12.pdf	en
dc.language.iso	en	en
dc.publisher	Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation and Research	en
dc.rights	In Copyright	en
dc.rights.uri	http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/	en
dc.subject	Yellow timing at signalized intersections	en
dc.title	Development of a Framework for Evaluating Yellow Timing at Signalized Intersections	en
dc.type	Technical report	en
dc.type.dcmitype	Text	en

Development of a Framework for Evaluating Yellow Timing at Signalized Intersections

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